"Grandmother, what's wrong? Please don't get agitated," Empress Dowager Cheng said after reading the letter. Her frail body swayed precariously, and Jing Shuo reached out to support her.
Empress Dowager Cheng felt a surge of hatred welling up inside her. She shoved a secret letter into Jing Shuo's hand and said bitterly, "Look at what others have done."
After receiving and reading the secret letter, Jing Shuo was so frightened that his cane fell to the ground, and he was about to open his mouth when he suddenly heard Jing Huaixu's furious outburst.
"Mother, what a mess you've made! I never imagined that the foundation of the Jing Kingdom was almost destroyed in your hands, and Father Emperor also died because of your schemes, pfft..."
He had barely finished speaking when a bitter, metallic taste began to rise in his throat. Unable to suppress it, Jing Huaixu coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Your Majesty!" Empress Ye and the others exclaimed in unison.
Jing Yan was also worried and reached out to help him: "Father, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Jing Huaixu stubbornly raised his hand to stop Jing Yan. He clutched his chest with a grim expression and continued to rebuke Empress Dowager Zheng with a chilling heart.
"How cruel you are! For your own selfish desires, you have ruined the Jing Kingdom for over forty years, costing tens of thousands of lives. Haven't you had nightmares all these years? You have made me ashamed to face the ancestors of the Jing family!"
Jing Huaixu was filled with hatred and anger. His eyes widened in fury as he walked step by step toward Empress Dowager Zheng, scolding and questioning her.
Empress Dowager Zheng was constantly being held hostage by Jing Yan with a sword, and her son's rage was pressing her further.
She shrank back, her neck would touch the sharp blade and cut her flesh; she moved forward, but she would face the drops of blood dripping from her son's lips, and his desperate, hateful gaze.
There are also a bunch of conspiracies and schemes that Empress Dowager Zheng had dealings with the late Emperor Anguo, which she wrote down in her own hand.
She never expected things to turn out this way; how could these things ever see the light of day again?
Empress Dowager Zheng felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her whole body was covered in cold sweat, and she was trembling uncontrollably.
She grabbed Jing Huaixu's robe anxiously, tears welling in her eyes, and cried as she explained, "Your Majesty, Mother... Mother didn't mean it. Mother never intended to harm the late Emperor."
"The Empress Dowager was..."
“Yes, you didn’t want to harm the Emperor, but you wanted to harm Empress Cheng’s brother. The late Emperor of Anguo used you, didn’t he?” Jing Huaixu shook off Empress Dowager Zheng’s hand and interrupted her.
He never imagined that, even in such dire straits, his own mother would still be able to find fault with him amidst his grave crimes.
Empress Dowager Cheng barely managed to recover from her immense grief. She staggered over to Empress Dowager Zheng, pointed at her, and gritted her teeth.
"You've always complained that I'm in your way and you want to replace me. Why don't you compete with me fairly and squarely? I never expected you to take such a crooked path."
"If the late emperor knew that his death in Anguo was all your doing, I wonder if he would be heartbroken and regret mistaking a fish eye for a pearl!"
Empress Dowager Zheng sobbed and wept, unable to refute. How could she not have nightmares all these years? How could she not fear that the late emperor would find out and come to take her life in her dreams?
But she never expected things to escalate into such a catastrophe.
When Empress Dowager Zheng was a hostage in the Jade Kingdom, she was the only one by the emperor's side. She had met all the princes of the Jade Kingdom and hostages from other countries whom the emperor knew.
Later, Empress Dowager Zheng accompanied the late emperor back to Jingzhou. Relying on the fact that she was the late emperor's most favored woman, she was always unwilling to be subordinate to Empress Dowager Cheng.
However, Empress Dowager Cheng had a reputation for being virtuous and capable in Jingdezhen, and her family was also very prominent, so Empress Dowager Zheng could not catch up with her no matter what she did.
The late Emperor of Jing and the late Emperor of An often exchanged letters, sometimes also mentioning Empress Dowager Zheng in their correspondence, which was full of respect and praise.
Before the late Emperor Jing ascended the throne, he would visit Anguo, and Empress Dowager Zheng would accompany him. Empress Dowager Zheng and the late Emperor Anguo became even more familiar with each other.
However, after the late Emperor of Jing ascended the throne, he faced many restrictions and could not easily travel to other countries.
On one occasion, the late Emperor Anguo really wanted to invite the late Emperor Jingguo, but he couldn't get an invitation. So the late Emperor Anguo went to Empress Dowager Zheng, knowing that she coveted the position of the principal wife but was hampered by the power of the Cheng family.
The two exchanged secret letters. The late Emperor of Anguo advised Empress Dowager Zheng to persuade the late Emperor of Jingguo to visit Anguo, and at the same time, to have Empress Dowager Cheng's brother accompany him.
The late Emperor of Anguo promised Empress Dowager Zheng that once Empress Dowager Cheng's brother arrived in Anguo, he could devise a plan to frame him for a crime.
The Cheng family held great power in Jing State, but they violated taboos in An State. For the sake of the relationship between the two countries, the late emperor of Jing State could not help but punish them.
Once Empress Dowager Cheng's brother is severely punished, her powerful backing will be rendered useless.
Empress Dowager Zheng was blinded by greed and desperately wanted the position of principal wife. So she personally persuaded the late Emperor of Jing to go to Anguo, and the matter was settled after one persuasion.
Empress Dowager Zheng was unexpectedly deceived by the late Emperor Anguo. Anguo not only helped her get rid of Empress Dowager Cheng's brother, but also the late Emperor.
In the end, he also had to make things difficult for his own son.
Empress Dowager Zheng dared not reveal these things, and Anguo did not expose her at that time. Who would have thought that she would still be outmaneuvered by Anguo today?
She looked at the old letters scattered on the ground, each word detailing the misdeeds she had committed, and knew she would have to pay the price.
Suddenly, Empress Dowager Zheng sensed something was wrong. She hurriedly asked Jing Yan, "Anguo has brought all this out, but what about Lu'er? Didn't they want to save Lu'er?"
"Where is my Lu'er? Could it be that they killed him?"
"Bring it in," Jing Yan said cruelly to Empress Dowager Zheng after giving the order, his face grim.
“Jing Lu has betrayed the country and has been executed on the spot. Grandmother, you don’t need to worry about Jing Lu’s safety.”
Empress Dowager Zheng witnessed the guards carrying in a stretcher, the white cloth soaked with blood, and she rushed over, heartbroken, and wept.
Empress Dowager Zheng was about to hold Jing Lu's body in her arms when her movements became too violent, and she only managed to encircle his body.
To her horror, Jinglu's head rolled off the stretcher right before her eyes, startling Empress Dowager Zheng so much that she staggered backward and cried out.
Seeing that the truth had come to light and the evidence was irrefutable, Jing Yan bowed to Jing Huaixu.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
